"Electric mobility requires more effective manufacturing technologies"

AutoRevista - How is Renishaw Spain facing 2023 and, specifically, what are your expectations for the automotive business this year and in the short term?

Iñigo Bereterbide.-  Despite the fact that the general perception of the economic situation may create a negative image associated with the economic slowdown and rising inflation, our results and business expectations in the automotive sector are excellent. We expect sales growth to exceed pre-pandemic figures and we have identified an increase in the number of new projects with clear commercial potential in the short to medium term.

"The introduction of our Equator flexible gauging system is enabling very high levels of repeatability in the industry".

AR - Renishaw has been emphasising the concept of repeatability as the cornerstone of top quality.

I.B.- Renishaw has a range of process control equipment. The introduction of our Equator flexible gauging system is enabling very high levels of repeatability in the industry. This is a re-mastering-based process control system that is insensitive to temperature changes on the shop floor. In order to ensure process stability, the control medium must be highly repeatable. Equator, in addition to ensuring this repeatability in measurement, allows multiple references to be measured with the same equipment, which provides flexibility. As this equipment is designed to be in the workshop, it can be easily integrated into automatic lines and allows the cycle to be closed with the compensation of tool wear without operator intervention. The quality and productivity of this technology has enabled vehicle manufacturers and their suppliers to purchase multiple machines in-house with ongoing local support from Renishaw. The highly positive feedback we have received from experienced Equator users is based on:

1. The ability to reprogram and change features to be measured.

2. Its ability to measure in the shop floor in a temperature insensitive manner.

3. The ability to measure both dimensional and geometric dimensions.

4. Automatic measurement, eliminating the need for operator intervention and guaranteeing traceability.

5. Easy on-line integration and communication with CNC for tool wear compensation.

All of this at a lower purchase and operating cost during the useful life of the equipment than conventional means of control.

AR.- What is the trend towards vehicle electrification driving Renishaw's innovation in metrology and smart manufacturing?

I.B. - Renishaw, as a component manufacturer, produces, on average in our UK factories, over 1.2 million components per month and seeks to share this experience with our customers. In the case of electric vehicles, we have developed specific applications for these new components and have even developed new hardware to address new measurement needs not previously available.

Renishaw designs, manufactures and supplies metal 3D printing machines which is a process also known as Additive Manufacturing. Electric mobility requires manufacturing technologies that are more effective and enable designs that were previously not feasible. Additive Manufacturing makes it possible to obtain metal parts that significantly improve the final performance of the electric vehicle thanks to increases in efficiency or weight reduction.

"Renishaw is the only manufacturer in the world with true 5-axis measurement technology and multi-sensor capability".

AR.- What is the impact of the evolution of CMMs from three to five axles?

I.B.- Bringing process control closer to production is becoming increasingly important to be highly competitive in the global industry. Therefore, it is common to see more CMMs installed and operating on the shop floor and we are convinced that this is a trend that will continue to grow in the coming years. When we talk about integrating a CMM into a production line it is important to:

1. Reducing cycle time, i.e. measuring more and faster, while maintaining accuracy.

2. Reducing machine size by adjusting it to the available space on the line.

3. Introduce multi-sensor capability, i.e. be able to do dimensional, waviness and roughness analysis in a single operation.

All this is possible with the use of 5-axis measurement systems. Renishaw is the only manufacturer in the world with true 5-axis measurement technology and multi-sensor capability.

AR.- What new steps is the company taking in areas such as sustainability, optimising energy management and the circular economy?

I.B- As we mentioned earlier, the vast majority of our factories are in the UK and Ireland, and our manufacturing processes have always been accompanied by improvements aimed not only at improving productivity, but also at improving energy efficiency, mainly because legislation requires it and allows us to be more efficient.

Renishaw has set up a sustainability committee to look across the business and implement policies that enable us to reduce our carbon footprint globally. Actions such as the study and implementation of solar panels on our buildings are underway around the world. However, we are looking at the fleet of our employees' vehicles, air travel and the possibility of replacing meetings with on-line connections where possible. Internal policies have been in place for several years to eliminate paper printing and we encourage all work teams, including our customers, to use electronic files such as order confirmations, invoices, service parts, manuals, datasheets, promotional materials, etc.

We also use smart manufacturing technologies for our own products. Specifically, we apply our own metal Additive Manufacturing machines to obtain metal parts with optimised designs that reduce waste material, as happens in processes such as machining.

AR - Smart manufacturing is about new developments in digitisation and data management, how is Renishaw addressing these trends?

I.B.- Smart manufacturing is the term to describe self-correcting processes that allow instant adjustment, closed-loop feedback and the ability to measure and make decisions traditionally required in manufacturing.

We are committed to creating solutions that enable our customers to implement smart manufacturing: automated, connected and flexible, enabling companies to implement increasingly automated decision making.

Our products and software are developed in this ecosystem and incorporate functionalities such as: the ability to communicate and interact with PLCs, numerical controls, send information to the network and specific databases either in neutral formats or through our Central Software.

Renishaw's implementation of additive manufacturing is enabling digital parts stock worldwide across multiple industries. Companies with our metal 3D printing technology benefit from much more effective data management, which improves control and reduces costs.

Lea esta entrevista en castellano

Interview published in  AutoRevista 2.378